SERIES HISTORY AGAINST NORTHEASTERN:
Saturday's competition between Holy Cross and Northeastern marks
the 16th time in program history that the two teams have matched
up. The Crusaders hold an all-time 13-2 advantage over the Huskies,
with Northeastern earning its two victories in the last three
meetings. The teams first met in 1983 when they were both members
of the EAIAW conference. The Crusaders won that first match-up in
high fashion, topping the Huskies 54-50 on their way to earning the
EAIAW championship crown. Head coach Bill Gibbons faced
Northeastern for the first time on Dec. 21, 1988, overwhelming the
Huskies for a 21-point victory, 78-56. The teams have played six
times in the last 10 years. Holy Cross suffered its first loss in
program history to Northeastern on Dec. 20, 2004 as the Huskies
earned a 68-64 road victory that year. Northeastern head coach
Daynia La-Force Mann won her first meeting with the Crusaders last
season, topping Holy Cross 66-47.

HOLY CROSS AGAINST THE COLONIAL ATHLETIC
ASSOCIATION: In program history, Holy Cross has
played against six of the 12 teams that compete in the Colonial
Athletic Association (CAA). In all, the Crusaders have won 23 of
the 27 match-ups against CAA opponents. Northeastern and Hofstra
have been the most frequent CAA teams on the Holy Cross schedule,
competing against the Crusaders a combined 22 times. Northeastern
is the only CAA opponent on the 2009-2010 schedule for the
Crusaders. Against all CAA teams, Holy Cross has never lost to
Drexel (1-0), North Carolina-Wilmington (1-0) and Towson (1-0).
Holy Cross has won the most games against Northeastern (13) and
only holds a losing record against Old Dominion (0-1).The Crusaders
look to break into the win column against their second opponent who
carries the Husky nickname Saturday. The team played the No. 1
Connecticut Huskies on Nov. 20, falling 87-34. There are a total of
nine collegiate institutions that bear the Husky nickname. Of those
nine, Holy Cross has played against three Husky opponents,
Connecticut, Northeastern and Northern Illinois. The Huskies have
taken the all-time series advantage over the Crusaders, winning 20
of 36 contests.

HOLY CROSS HOLDS YOUTH BASKETBALL DAY:
Saturday's game will also highlight Youth Basketball Day. Anyone
aged 13 and under who wears their youth basketball jersey to the
game will receive free admission. After the Crusaders take on the
Huskies, a meet and greet session will be held in the Hart Center
lobby with the players. Participants will get the chance to say
hello to their favorite players.

HOME IS WHERE THE HART IS: Saturday's
game marks the first home contest for Holy Cross this season, a
place where opponents have had trouble adjusting to. The Holy Cross
women's basketball team has an 80.1 home victory percentage since
becoming a Division I program as the Hart Center has been the
Crusaders' home court for over 34 years. The 2009-2010 season will
mark the 35th season of women's basketball competition at the Hart
Center. The team has won an all-time 324-96 advantage at home with
last year's team going 7-6. The Crusaders posted 24 straight
winning records at home from 1979-1980 through 2002-2003 and have
five straight winning records going into 2009-2010. Combined, the
Crusaders have won 126 of 152 meetings against this year's home
opponents.

O'DELL AND FREMEAU NAMED TO DEAD RIVER CLASSIC
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Senior Bethany O'Dell (Lincoln,
R.I) and junior Whitney Fremeau (Manchester, N.H.)
were selected to the Dead River Classic All-Tournament team after
their stellar performances in the two games against tournament host
Maine and Penn State on Nov. 27 and 28. Holy Cross was the only
school with two players selected to the five-player All-Tournament
team. Maine's Kristin Baker, Buffalo's Kourtney Brown and Penn
State's Alex Bentley rounded out the final three spots. Over the
course of the classic, Fremeau and O'Dell combined for four
double-digit scoring performances, collecting a total of 64 points.
O'Dell tallied a season-high 17 points against Maine and then
topped it with 19 points against Penn State. O'Dell's 19 points led
all scorers on both sides of the court. Fremeau scored 14 points in
each game, respectively. Fremeau brought down a season-high nine
rebounds against Maine and tied for the team-high with five
rebounds in the following match-up with the Lady Lions. They both
played for a total of 148 minutes in two games, and average of 37
minutes per-game. Penn State's Tyra Grant took home the Dead River
Classic MVP award.

BIG D: Defense has been a major
factor for Holy Cross in its seven contests thus far. The team has
held its opponents to under 60 points in four games, including both
match-ups in the Dead River Classic. The Crusader defense came up
huge in the championship game against Penn State, who came in to
the contest averaging over 70 points-per-game. They held the Lady
Lions to just 52 points, including just one three-point shot in
nine attempts, a season-low for the squad. The team also held Penn
State's top shooter, senior Tyra Grant, to a season-low 13 points.
She was averaging 16 points-per-game coming into the contest. Along
with the 52 points allowed against Penn State, Holy Cross has held
Bryant to 45 points, Central Connecticut to 50 points and Maine to
59 points.

1,000 POINT UPDATE: Senior captains
Briana McFadden (Wheaton, Md.) and Bethany O'Dell became just the
eighth and ninth juniors to become part of the 24-member Holy Cross
1,000-point club last year. Going into the 2009-2010 season, they
ranked 14th (1,195 points) and 19th (1,104 points) on the all-time
scoring list respectively. In just seven contests, the two captains
have already jumped at least two spots on that list. McFadden, who
has scored 95 total points this season, moves into the 11th spot
with 1,275 career points, jumping Kris Shields, Mary Helen Walker
and Anna Kinne she needs 44 points to rank No. 10. O'Dell, who
leads the team with 112 points thus far, has just entered the
1,200-point mark with 1,216 total career points. She surpasses Kris
Shields for 13th place and needs just one point to rank at No. 12.

FREMEAU REACHES NEW HEIGHTS: Whitney
Fremeau is continuing to establish herself as a valuable scorer and
rebounder for the Crusaders. So far this season she has already
tied her career-highs in field-goals made (8) and points (18). She
earned a career-high 38 minute performance against Penn State on
Nov. 28. She also marked a season-high of nine rebounds against
Maine on Nov. 27, two shy of her career-high. She has been the
top-scorer for the team in two contests (18 at Yale and 17 at
Bryant) and has also led or tied in the team in top rebounds in six
of eight performances. She is averaging 35.1 minutes played per
game, which is already 15 more minutes played than her career
average of 18.7 minutes. She is also perfect from the free-throw
line thus far, sinking all twelve of her attempts. In eight games
played, she leads the team in field goal percentage (39.8), field
goal attempts (108) and field goals made (43). She is also teams
leading rebounder with 49 total boards, an average of 6.1 rebounds
per-game.

LEAPS FOR LEPLEY: Freshman Amy
Lepley (Norfolk, Mass.) has made a major comeback after sitting her
entire high school senior season with a knee injury. She earned
three-consecutive starts against Maine, Penn State and Harvard. She
has already tied for the team-high in rebounds in two contests
(four against Boston College and five against Penn State), bringing
her total rebounds to 17 in eight contests. She scored a
career-high eight points against Boston College on Nov. 24 and has
scored 20 points in all, averaging 2.5 points-per-game. She leads
her class in almost all categories and ranks fourth on the team
with eight offensive rebounds.

THE WARD IMPACT: Sophomore Meredith
Ward (Westerly, R.I.), who started the first five games for the
Crusaders at point guard, was not listed as a starter in the
following two contests. She returned to the starting lineup against
Harvard. Coincidentally, Ward responded to the change with a
career-game against Maine. In her 29 minutes played, Ward scored a
career-high eight points on 3-of-7 shooting, tying her best field
goal percentage (42.9) of the season. Two of her three field goals
made came from behind the three-point line, giving her a
career-high two three-point shots made. She went 2-of-3 from beyond
the arc, tallying her best three-point performance ever. On the
season, Ward is averaging 26.1 minutes played, 3.8 points-per-game
and 1.8 rebounds-per-game. She ranks fourth on the team with nine
steals, already one more steal than her eight steals from the
entire 2008-2009 season.

MAJOR MINUTES: The team's three
scoring leaders, junior Whitney Fremeau and seniors Briana McFadden
and Bethany O'Dell also spend the most time on the court for the
Crusaders, rightfully so. Fremeau leads the team with an average of
35.1 minutes played while McFadden follows with 34.9 minutes and
O'Dell clocking in with an average of 34.1 minutes. Most
impressively, O'Dell has scored the most points in the least amount
of minutes played (112 points in 273 total minutes). Fremeau has
scored 101 points in 281 minutes while McFadden has 95 points in
279 minutes. The three rank fourth, fifth and eighth amongst their
Patriot League opponents respectively.

BEYOND THE ARC: The Crusaders have
found a new scoring weapon this season, the three-point shot. In
eight contests, the team has attempted 141 three-pointers, compared
to their opponents who have tried 128 three-point shots. In all,
the team has recorded a 30.5 percent three-point average, while
opponents have made just 28.1 percent of their attempts. The teams
three-point percentage defense ranks second amongst the Patriot
League. Last season, Holy Cross collected 534 three-point tries
next to its opponents' 597 attempts. Eight players on the 2009-2010
roster have already made a three-point shot, with senior Bethany
O'Dell leading the way with a total of 21 three-pointers
made.

CALM UNDER PRESSURE: The Crusaders
have remained strong from the free throw line through five games
this season. The team averages 72.0 percent from the line, making
108 of 150 attempts. Junior Whitney Fremeau leads the team with a
perfect 12-for-12 free throw performance as she marked career-highs
with four makes in four attempts against Harvard. Senior Bethany
O'Dell has gone 19-for-23 for the team's second-best performance.
Senior Briana McFadden's perfect 8-for-8 free throw outing against
Boston College on Nov. 24 is a Patriot League game high. As a team
last year, the Crusaders made 389 of their 524 free-throws
attempts. The combined percentage of 74.2 ranks first all-time for
a Holy Cross team. It also ranked first in the Patriot League and
28th nationally. Senior Briana McFadden sank 153 of her 191
attempts to rank first on the team in free throw attempts, earning
her the third spot among Holy Cross single-season records. Fellow
senior Bethany O'Dell led the team with a 84.6 free-throw
percentage, missing just 10 of her 65 attempts at the line.

YEAR OF THE GUARD: Six of 12 players
on the 2009-2010 roster are listed as a guard, with Briana McFadden
and Bethany O'Dell returning as starters. This year's team boasts
the most experience at guard, with four seniors and another
returner, sophomore Meredith Ward, owning the position. So far this
season, the guards have combined to score 251 points and have
stolen the ball a position-high 42 times. The guard position also
leads the team in assists, combining for 58 dishes.

THIEVES IN THE NIGHT: The 2009-2010
Crusaders have been quick on their feet, collecting 70 steals in
eight games, an average of 8.8 steals per-contest. The team has
stolen the ball a season-high 14 times in two games, against
Central Connecticut and Bryant. Their performances also rank as a
conference-high while their steals average ranks second among
league foes. Senior Bethany O'Dell is the team-leader with 16
steals thus far.

RECORD CLIMBING: Briana McFadden and
Bethany O'Dell have already etched thier names into the Holy Cross
single-season record books. McFadden currently ranks first with her
37.5 average minutes played during the 2008-2009 season while
O'Dell holds the top three spots in three-pointers made (87,
2006-2007, 65, 2008-2009, 63, 2007-2008). O'Dell also holds the top
rank in three-pointers attempted (206, 2006-2007) and is sixth in
three-point percentage (42.2, 2006-2007). McFadden places third and
fifth in free throws made (152, 2008-2009, 137, 2007-2008) and
fifth and eighth in free throws attempted (191, 2008-2009, 169,
2007-2008). Both players are tied for sixth with32 games started in
2007-2008. McFadden is already fifth on the career records list for
three-pointers attempted (448); three pointers made (143) and free
throw percentage (79.8). O'Dell currently ranks third on the Holy
Cross career records list for three-point percentage (39.4) and
also ranks first all-time at Holy Cross and now third all-time in
the Patriot League with 236 career three-point field goals made.

TALE OF TWO HALVES: Scoring in the second half has also
been troublesome for the Crusaders so far this season. While
opponents outscore Holy Cross in both halves, the team has kept
opponents within six points in the first 20 minutes. So far Holy
Cross has scored 229 points in the first half next to opponents 251
points. They have taken a lead into the halftime in five
of eight match-ups. The second half is a bit more lopsided,
with opponents tallying a 272-200 second half scoring advantage.
Luckily, the team has escaped the comeback attempts in three
contests, while losing the lead to Yale (66-60) and Penn State
(52-48).

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES:
Record: 4-2, 0-0 CAA
HEAD COACH: Daynia La-Force Mann is now into her fourth
season as head coach of the Northeastern women's basketball program
in 2009-2010. She has collected a record of 34-62 in her young
coaching career, while leading last year's team to a 12-19 overall
record. The squad also went 8-10 in the CAA, good for sixth place
in the conference despite being picked to finish ninth in the
pre-season polls. La-Force Mann also led Northeastern to its second
consecutive CAA Tournament quarterfinals appearance. Prior to
coming to Northeastern, La-Force Mann, spent a highly successful
2005-06 season at the University of New Haven, where she was named
the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, as
she guided the Chargers to the NYCAC regular season and tournament
titles. Over her entire coaching career, La-Force Mann has marked
54 wins and 68 losses.

2009-2010 Team: The Huskies
have gotten a good jump start on the young season, going 4-2 thus
far in non-conference competition. The 2009-2010 squad is well
seasoned, with 11 letterwinners returning. The team also welcomes
three newcomers, with Rachael Pecota leading her class with 8.7
points-per-game in 119 minutes played. Northeastern's regular
starters consist of three sophomores, including guard Brittany
Wilson, who leads the team with 14.0 points-per-game. Fellow
classmate and guard Kashaia Cannon follows with 11.2
points-per-game and a team-high 14 assists. The final starting
sophomore, guard Jamie Conroy, is the team's leading rebounder,
bringing down an average 4.7 boards per-game. The Huskies have
already competed against three opponents that are also on Holy
Cross' schedule. Picking up wins against Army and Rhode Island,
Northeastern also fell to the No. 1 ranked Connecticut Huskies in
its first game of the season. The Huskies topped Delaware State and
most recently Massachusetts as well. Its only other loss came in
the hands of Boston University, who the Crusaders scrimmaged prior
to the 2009-2010 season.

NEXT UP FOR THE CRUSADERS: Holy
Cross will complete its two-game homestand before breaking for
finals, taking on Vermont on Monday, Dec. 7. The Crusaders look to
break the two-game win streak the Catamounts have collected in the
last two meetings as the game time is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Hart
Center in Worcester, Mass.

College of the Holy CrossDepartment of Athletics 1 College Street Worcester, MA 01610